Personal accountability, the latest victim of No Child Left Behind.

Quoted: At issue is a memo sent to high school teachers Thursday -- the day grades were due for seniors -- saying staff will not be allowed to mark students as failing because of attendance. Students received grades for the third and fourth marking periods plus a final exam, and previously were required to pass at least two of the three. That rule also was eliminated. Teachers were told passing grades in the district's computer system would be locked, preventing staff from lowering them for any reason.

Of course GRPS officials characterize attendance issues a little differently. According to them Grand Rapids public schools are just teeming with geniuses:

Quoted: Committee chairwoman Amy McGlynn said some students "don't need to be in a seat for six hours every day in order to understand the content. We need to look at how long kids really need to be in school. The end process is more important than how you get there."